Mooring cable pickup device

ABSTRACT

A device is provided whereby a mooring cable may be picked up from a boat approaching a mooring. The device comprises a hookpresenting horizontally disposed hook arm; a horizontally disposed vane-carrying arm having a vertical vane secured to the remote end thereof, each arm being secured to a body member; and said device also comprises a vertically disposed suspending arm to the lower end of which the body member is attached and to the upper end of which a tie member is attached that extends to adjacent the extremity of the hook arm. Means is provided for attaching a towline to the upper end of the suspending arm.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Charles C. Dunbar 62 Bowdoin St.,Portland. Maine 04102 [21] Appl. No 833,083 [22] Filed June13, 1969 [45]Patented July6, 1971 [54] MOORING CABLE PICKUP DEVICE [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1950 White Primary ExaminerTrygve M. BlixAttorney-Kenyon and Kenyon ABSTRACT: A device is provided whereby amooring cable may be picked up from a boat approaching a mooring. Thedevice comprises a hook-presenting horizontally disposed hook arm; ahorizontally disposed vane-carrying arm having a vertical vane securedto the remote end thereof, each arm being secured to a body member; andsaid device also comprises a vertically disposed suspending arm to thelower end of which the body member is attached and to the upper end ofwhich a tie member is attached that extends to adjacent the extremity ofthe hook arm. Means is provided for attaching a towline to the upper endof the suspending arm.

PATENTEDJUL 6l97| SHEET 1 [1F 2 INVENTOR.

CHARLES C. DUNBAR BY miM/ ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUL 6|97l 3,590

SHEET 2 [1F 2 INVEN TOR.

CHARLES cmuuauz BY j ATTOR YS MOORING CABLE PICKUP DEVICE This inventionrelates to a'device for the purpose of picking up the mooring cable of amarine mooring. This invention relates more particularly to a devicewhich is adapted to be carried by a vessel and placed in the water asthe vessel approaches a marine mooring whereby the cable of the mooringmay be effectively and automatically picked up.

An object of the device of this invention is to facilitate the commonoperation of picking up a mooring from a vessel which is to be securedto the mooring. This operation is usually performed by a crew memberutilizing a boat hook which he hooks onto the cable that depends fromthe floating buoy of the mooring. After the crew member has beensuccessful in hooking onto the mooring cable the buoy and the mooringcable are pulled onto the vessel so that the cable may be securelyattached. The nature of the operation and the instrumentality used forgrasping'the mooring cable varies depending on the nature and size ofthe vessel and of the mooring. Moreover, for small craft the operationmay be accomplished manually by a crew member, who leans over the sideof the vessel when it is sufficiently close to the buoy so that he maylay hold of the mooring buoy. In any case, the operation of picking up amooring is one which requires the services of a crew member when thevessel is stopped adjacent the mooring or as the vessel passes near themooring. It is very difficult and, in many cases impossible, for theoperator of a vessel which is to be moored at a mooring to control thevessel and himself pick up the mooring.

A principal object of this invention is to provide means whereby amooring cable may be automatically picked up as a vessel from which itis being towed approaches a mooring at which it is to be secured. Thedevice may be used to advantage in connection with vessels both largeand small and the device is such as to enable a mooring cable to bepicked up without the special services of a crew man, thus permittingthe crew man to attend to other duties or enabling an operator of thevessel, in the absence of an available crew man, to successfully pickupa mooring cable and attach his vessel to the mooring.

A more particular object of this invention is the provision of a devicewhich may be conveniently carried by the vessel to be moored and which,when the vicinity of a mooring is approached, may be placed in the wateron either side of the vessel and towed from the vessel, usually from thebow, the device being adapted to receive and hold the mooring cable thatdepends beneath the floating buoy of a conventional mooring. After themooring cable has been received by the device so as to be held therebythe device together with the mooring buoy and its depending cable may behauled aboard the vessel for attachment of the mooring cable directly tothe vessel. Alternatively, the device may be left in the water attachedto the mooring, the device in turn being secured to the vessel by atowline, and in such case the device together with the towline thereforin effect constitutes an extension of the mooring cable for maintainingthe vessel secured to the moor- Features of this invention relate to theprovision of a body member andvane means carried by the body memberadapted to guide the body member upon towing the body member and incombination therewith a laterally extending hook arm having a forwardlyfacing hook adjacent its remote end adapted to receive a mooring cable.The vane means and the hook arm cooperate witheach other as the mooringis approached and in facilitating the reception of the mooring cable bythe cable receiving hook.

Further features of this invention relate to means for suspending thedevice from a towline and to the relation of the means for securing thetowline to the other component parts of the device.

Further features of this invention relate to means whereby the devicemay be used on either the starboard or the port side ofa vessel and tomeans employed for obtaining optimum performance of the device and forretention of the mooring cable after it has been received by the hookmember of the device.

the parts after the device has been moved into initial contact with themooring cable;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the'device on a somewhat larger scale;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the device; and

FIG. 5 is a detail perspective view on a still larger scale showing thestructure of the hook employed at the end of the hook arm.

The mooring cable pickup device of this invention, as shown in theaccompanying drawings, comprises the body member 10. The body member 10may conveniently be in the form of a casting of some suitable metal suchas iron or brass. For guiding the body member 10 when the device isbeing towed through the water a horizontally disposed vane arm 11extends rearwardly from the body member 10 and the vertically disposedvane 12 is secured thereto adjacent the remote end thereof. Forconvenience in assembly and disassembly, the vane arm 11 may be fixedlysecured to the body member 10 by reception in a recess wherein the arm11 may be clamped by means ofa clamping bolt 13.

The hook arm 14 is horizontally disposed and extends laterally from thebody member 10. The hook arm may be secured to the body member 10 as bymeans of bolts 15. At the remote end of the hook arm 14 there isprovided a forwardly facing hook 16 which is adapted to receive amooring cable therein. In order that the mooring cable may be retainedafter it has been received by the hook 16 a yieldable closing latch 17preferably is provided. This latch may be resiliently urged backwardly,as for example to the position shown in dotted lines by pressure of themooring cable thereagainst for receiving the mooring cable, whereuponafter entry of the cable into the hook the latch l7 assumes the positionshown in solid lines for retaining the mooring cable within the hook.

Vertically upstanding from the body member 10 there is the suspendingarm 18 which is secured adjacent its lower end to the body member 10. Inthe embodiment shown the suspending arm 18 extends through the bodymember It) in slidable relation thereto and may be fixedly clamped inany given position by the clamping bolt 19.

A tie member 20'is secured at one end adjacent the hook end of the hookarm 14 as by means of the ring 21 that is secured to the base of thehook 16, as best shown in FIG. 3. The other end of the tie member 20 issecured to the suspending arm 18 adjacent the upper end thereof, as bymeans of the ring 22 attached to the suspending arm 18 adjacent theupper end thereof. The ring 22 is adapted to receive the latch 23 whichis integral with the tie member 20 so that the tie member 20 maybe'readily connected and disconnected with respect to the suspending arm18.

Adjacent the upper end of the suspending arm 18 suitable means such asthe eye 24 is provided for the attachment of a towline 25.

In the foregoing description the parts have been indicated in theposition shown in the drawings, namely, in the position assumed by theparts in actual use when the device is suspended in the water by atowline from a vessel 29 that is approaching a mooring, as indicated inFIG. 1. Moreover, the reference to the vane am 11 extending rearwardlyand the reference to the hook facing forwardly, have reference to thedirectional movement of the device upon being towed by a towlin'e andguided by the vane 12 as the device approaches the mooring.

The manner of use of the device shown in the drawings and hereinabovedescribed is apparent and has been illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. inthese figures a mooring buoy 26 is shown having its mooring cable 27depending therefrom. While the term cable" is used, it is to beunderstood that this term isapplicable generally, whether the mooringcable is in the form of a rope or chain, or is composed of flexiblemetal strands or of some other material. The cable extends down to ananchor or some other holding device (not shown) resting on the bottom ofa body of'water and adapted to hold the particular vessel to be mooredafter the vessel has been secured to the mooring cable. Generally asubstantial amount of slack is provided so as to facilitate lifting themooring buoy onto a vessel and securing the mooring cable directly tothe vessel. In some moorings the mooring cable immediately adjacent thebuoy is lighter in weight and serves the function of holding the buoy inplace and providing means for hauling in a heavier portion of the cablewhich is actually used for tying up the vessel to the mooring after themooring cable has been picked up.

During approach to the mooring, the device assumes the position shown inFIG. 1. The body member constitutes the portion of greatest mass of thedevice as a whole, with the result that when the body member 10 issuspended by a towline attached to the upper end of the suspending arm18 the device assumes the position shown by the action ofgravity. Whenthe body member 10 is thus suspended, the vane arm 11 and the hook arm14 assume a substantially horizontal position. While the device ismoving through the water in approaching the mooring there is a certainamount ofdrag of the water on the hook arm 14. However, the verticalexpanse of the vane 12 is such as to counteract this drag and hold thevane arm in a laterally extended position as the device approaches themooring. To the extent that the hook arm is urged rearwardly by thedragging action of the water thereagainst, the rearmost end of the vane12 is caused to move slightly toward the vessel, the body portion 10being the axis of the rotational movement thus induced by the draggingaction of the water on the hook arm 14. This slight movement of the vane12 from true forward movement for guiding the body portion in thedesired direction is of advantage in that it tends to move the deviceoutwardly from the hull of the vessel and minimizes the possibility ofthe device knocking against the vessel hull while it is being towed.

In FIG. 2 the position of the parts is shown after the hook arm has beenmoved into contact with the mooring cable 27. The initial contact of themooring cable with the hook arm supplements the dragging action of thewater on the hook arm in causing the arms 11 and 14 to pivot about thebody member 10 as an axis, thus throwing the vane 12 so as to lielargely or entirely athwart the movement of the device through thewater, as shown in FIG. 2. When the parts are in this position, themotion of the water against the vane 12 tends to resist the pressure ofthe mooring cable against the hook arm 14 and the mooring cable slidesalong it until the mooring cable becomes received by the hook 16.

After the mooring cable has become received by the hook 16, as shown inFIG. 2, then further progress of the vessel relative to the mooringcable 27 causes the towline 25 and the tie member to become insubstantial alignment so that the vessel is held through the towline andthe tie member 20 which in effect becomes secured to the cable 27 by thehook 16. The vessel is now restrained and comes to a stop. While thetowline 25 and the tie member 20 are thus under tension the tendency isto move the vane 12 somewhat downwardly from the position as shown inFIG. 2 and out of the way. This effect can be augmented by causing thetowline 25 to be affixed to the upper end of the arm 18 at a pointsomewhat more remote from the body member 10 than the point where thetie line is affixed to the upper end of the arm 18. However, this is notesv sential and, if desired, the tie member 20 may be a continuation ofthe towline which may be held at the upper end of the arm 18 as bysuitablemeans such as the eye 24. It is preferable, however, to have,the tie member 20 fixed to the upper end of the arm 18. Since the tiemember 20 functions under tension, it may be either in the form ofarigid rod or a flexible cable.

After the cable of the mooring has been picked up automatically by thedevice in the manner above described, the

device together with the buoy 26 of the mooring may, if desired, behauled aboard the vessel so that the mooring cable may be tied directlyto the vessel, e.g. to the securing means 28 shown in FIG. 1.Alternatively, the mooring cable pickup device after it has picked upthe mooring cable 27 may merely be left in the water and the vessel insuch case will be moored through the towline 25, the tie member 20 andthe hook 16 to the mooring cable 27. When the device is thus used boththe towline employed and the parts comprised in the pickup device whichcarry the load imposed on the mooring should be constructed so as tohave strength comparable to that of the mooring cable 27. When themooring device is left in the water and becomes in effect part of themooring, the latch 17 of the hook 16 should be made sufficiently sturdyto effectively retain the mooring cable, and the means used for securingthe buoy 26 to the mooring cable 27 should be sufficiently sturdy andstrong to withstand strains imposed thereon when the device is thus usedas part of a permanent mooring. More generally, the size of the deviceand the size and strength of the component parts thereof are subject towide variation, depending on the nature of the vessel to be moored, thenature of the mooring and the manner in which the device is to be used.

In the accompanying drawings the mooring pickup device of this inventionhas been illustrated in use on the starboard side ofa vessel. In theembodiment shown, one means is provided whereby the hook arm 14 may beextended in the 0pposite direction in its relation to the vane arm 11 sothat the device also may be used on the port side of a vessel. Asmentioned above, the suspending arm 18 passes through the body member 10in longitudinally slidable relation thereto and may be clamped in placein any selected position by the clamping bolt 19. By releasing theclamping bolt 19 and sliding the suspending arm 18 relative to the bodymember 10 until the ring 22 is immediately adjacent the body member 10and then reclamping the suspending arm 18 in this adjusted position, thedevice when inverted becomes adapted for use on the port side ofavessel. For such use, the latch 23 at the end of the tie member 20 isreleased from the ring 22 and is secured instead to the ring 22a, andfor use the device is suspended from a towline secured at the end of thesuspending arm 18 alongside the ring 22a, as by an eye corresponding tothe eye 24. While one means has been shown for changing the relativepositions of the armsso that the device may be used either on thestarboard side or the port side of the vessel, other means may beemployed. Thus the suspending arm instead of being slidablelongitudinally through an aperture in the body member 10 may bepivotally secured to the body member 10 so that it may be swung betweenpositions 180 apart on either side of .the body member 10.Alternatively, of course, the hook arm may be released from the bodymember 10 and reattached so as to extend from the opposite side.

In the embodiment shown the vane arm, the hook arm and the suspendingarm have been shown in preferred relative positions with reference tothe body member 10. However, considerable departures from these armpositions shown are permitted. Thus the suspending arm 18 instead ofbeing disposed at about with respect to the vane arm 11 may be inclinedsomewhat forwardly and, in fact, when the device is likely to be towedat a substantial speed through the water such forward inclination of thesuspending arm 18 is desirable in order to compensate for the tendencyof the water to swing the vane 12 somewhat upwardly. However, theutility of the device is not excessively impaired if the arm 18 departsby as much as 45 from its optimum orientation with reference to theother arms. The foregoing applies likewise to the position of the hookarm 14 with reference to the vane arm 11, for the angle between thesearms may vary widely while still providing sufficient lateral extensionof the hook arm 14 to permit it to come athwart a mooring cable when thebody member is being towed by a towline while guided by the vane whichtrails behind the body member.

In addition to the foregoing, there are other modifications which may bemade without departing from the scope of this invention. Thus theprincipal features of this invention reside in the provision of a bodymember adapted to be towed and a trailing vane, these elements being incombination with a hook arm extending laterally from the body membertransversely to the plane of the vane, the hook arm having a hook at theremote end thereof adapted to receive a mooring cable therein.

With regard to the means for securing a towline to the device, thefactor of major significance is that such means be disposed above thecenter of gravity of the device so that when the device is suspendedfrom a towline, as in towing it through the water, it will assume aposition wherein the vane arm and the hook arm have generally horizontaldisposition for performing the functions hereinabove described, the vanemeans extending rearwardly from the body portion having disposition in avertical plane or at least approximately in a vertical plane. Formaintaining the desired disposition of the arms, the suspension ofaweight below the body member so as to keep the center of gravity belowthe securing means may be resorted to, and in such case the securingmeans for the towline could be at or adjacent the body member itselfinstead of placing the body member at the lower end of a suspending arm.

The disposition of the hook arm in a horizontal position or in someother position may be varied, depending upon the disposition of thecable to be picked up by the device. Thus while this invention has beendescribed with particular reference to picking up a mooring cable, thedevice of this invention may be put to other purposes. For example, thedevice may be used to pick up a towline extending from a vessel. if thetowline is disposed predominantly horizontally rather than vertically,then the component elements of the pickup device of this invention maybe arranged so that when the device is suspended from a towline andtowed through the water the hook arm will be approximately normallydisposed with respect to the line to be picked up byit. In such case thehook arm may depend from the body portion of the device upon towing thedevice through the water under the influence of the trailing vane meansso as to extend laterally downwardly to to as great an extent, orpossibly even a greater extent, as compared with its horizontaldisposition.

I claim:

1. A mooring cable pickup device which comprises a body member, ahorizontally disposed hook arm secured adjacent one end thereof to saidbody member and extending laterally therefrom, a horizontally disposedvane arm secured to said body member adjacent one end thereof andextending rearwardly therefrom, a substantially vertically disposed vanesecured to said vane arm, a hook adapted to receive a mooring cabletherein secured to said hook arm adjacent the remote end of said hookarm from said body member with the mouth thereof facing forwardly, avertically disposed suspending arm secured adjacent the lower endthereof to said body member, a tie member attached to said hook armadjacent the hook end thereof and extending to and held by saidsuspending arm adjacent the upper end thereof, and means adjacent theupper end of said suspending arm for attaching a towline thereto.

2. A mooring cable pickup device according to claim 1 which comprisesmeans for changing the relative positions of said arms with respect tosaid body member from position with said hook arm laterally extendingfrom one side of said body member to position laterally extending fromthe other side of said body member when said body member is suspendedfrom said suspending arm.

3. A mooring cable pickup device according to claim 1 which comprisesmeans for changing the position of said suspending arm from verticalextension above said body member to vertical extension below said bodymember.

4. A mooring cable pickup device according to claim 1 which comprises alatch adapted to retain a mooring cable in said hook after entry of saidcable into said hook.

5. A mooring pickup device according to claim 1 wherein said tie memberis fixedly held by said suspending arm adjacent the upper end thereof.

6. A mooring pickup device according to claim 1 wherein said tie memberis fixedly held by said suspending arm in proximate spaced relation tosaid means for attaching a towline, said means for attaching a towlinebeing the more remote from said body member.

7. A mooring cable pickup device comprising a body member, a vane armsecured to said body member and extending rearwardly therefrom, asubstantially vertically disposed vane secured to the end of said vanearm that is remote from said body member adapted to guide said bodymember upon towing said body member through the water, a hook armextending laterally from said body member transversely to the plane ofsaid vane having in substantially spaced relation with respect to saidbody member a forwardly facing hook adjacent the remote end thereofadapted to receive a mooring cable therein, and means for attaching atowline for towing said body member forwardly through the water withsaid vane trailing therebehind in said substantially vertically disposedposition and with said hook arm extending laterally therefrom inposition for a mooring cable to be intercepted thereby at a positionintermediate between said body member and said hook for movementtherealong away from said body portion and reception by said hook.

8. A mooring cable pickup device comprising a body member, ahorizontally disposed vane arm extending rearwardly from said bodymember, a vertically disposed vane secured to said vane arm adapted toguide said body member through the water upon being towed through thewater, a horizontally disposed laterally extending hook arm securedadjacent one end thereof to said body member and having a forwardlyfacing hook adjacent the other end thereof adapted to receive a mooringcable therein, and means for securing a towline to said device, saidmeans for securing a towline to said device, said means for securing atowline to said device being disposed above the center of gravity of thedevice for general horizontal disposition of said vane arm and of saidhook am when said device is suspended by a towline secured to saidsecuring means. l

9. A mooring cable pickup device according to claim 8 which comprisessecuring means for also securing said towline to the opposite side ofsaid center of gravity whereby upon inverting the device and suspendingit from a towline secured to said last-mentioned securing means theeffective extension of said hook arm may be switched from one side tothe other of said body member.

1. A mooring cable pickup device which comprises a body member, ahorizontally disposed hook arm secured adjacent one end thereof to saidbody member and extending laterally therefrom, a horizontally disposedvane arm secured to said body member adjacent one end thereof andextending rearwardly therefrom, a substantially vertically disposed vanesecured to said vane arm, a hook adapted to receive a mooring cabletherein secured to said hook arm adjacent the remote end of said hookarm from said body member with the mouth thereof facing forwardly, avertically disposed suspending arm secured adjacent the lower endthereof to said body member, a tie member attached to said hook armadjacent the hook end thereof and extending to and held by saidsuspending arm adjacent the upper end thereof, and means adjacent theupper end of said suspending arm for attaching a towline thereto.
 2. Amooring cable pickup device according to claim 1 which comprises meansfor changing the relative positions of said arms with respect to saidbody member from position with said hook arm laterally extending fromone side of said body member to position laterally extending from theother side of said body member when said body member is suspended fromsaid suspending arm.
 3. A mooring cable pickup device according to claim1 which comprises means for changing the position of said suspending armfrom vertical extension above said body member to vertical extensionbelow said body member.
 4. A mooring cable pickup device according toclaim 1 which comprises a latch adapted to retain a mooring cable insaid hook after entry of said cable into said hook.
 5. A mooring pickupdevice according to claim 1 wherein said tie member is fixedly held bysaid suspending arm adjacent the upper end thereof.
 6. A mooring pickupdevice according to claim 1 wherein said tie member is fixedly held bysaid suspending arm in proximate spaced relation to said means forattaching a towline, said means for attaching a towline being the moreremote from said body member.
 7. A mooring cable pickup devicecomprising a body member, a vane arm secured to said body member andextending rearwardly therefrom, a substantially vertically disposed vanesecured to the end of said vane arm that is remote from said body memberadapted to guide said body member upon towing said body member throughthe water, a hook arm extending laterally from said body membertransversely to the plane of said vane having in substantially spacedrelation with respect to said body member a forwardly facing hookadjacent the remote end thereof adapted to receive a mooring cabletherein, and means for attaching a towline for towing said body memberforwardly through the water with said vane trailing therebehind in saidsubstantially vertically disposed position and with said hook armextending laterally therefrom in position for a mooring cable to beintercepted thereby at a position intermediate between said body memberand said hook for movement therealong away from said body portion andreception by said hook.
 8. A mooring cable pickup device comprising abody member, a horizontally disposed vane arm extending rearwardly fromsaid body member, a vertically disposed vane secured to said vane armadapted to guide said body member through the water upon being towedthrough the water, a horizontally disposed laterally extending hook armsecured adjacent one end thereof to said body member and having aforwardly facing hook adjacent the other end thereof adapted to receivea mooring cable therein, and means for securing a towline to saiddevice, said Means for securing a towline to said device, said means forsecuring a towline to said device being disposed above the center ofgravity of the device for general horizontal disposition of said vanearm and of said hook arm when said device is suspended by a towlinesecured to said securing means.
 9. A mooring cable pickup deviceaccording to claim 8 which comprises securing means for also securingsaid towline to the opposite side of said center of gravity whereby uponinverting the device and suspending it from a towline secured to saidlast-mentioned securing means the effective extension of said hook armmay be switched from one side to the other of said body member.